Peoria joins mid-sized city alliance

Friday

Jan 31, 2014 at 7:18 PM

Nick Vlahos of the Journal Star

PEORIA — This city isn't Effingham. Rockford isn't Naperville. Aurora isn't ... well, Aurora, depending on the part of town.

Still, Peoria has enough in common with Aurora, Danville and Rockford to form a not-for-profit alliance. It is designed to help those cities lobby at the state level and share ideas on how to solve common problems.

"With a host of different issues we all face, we feel that with the collective voice of all the mayors in this group speaking together, we'll have more of an impression in Springfield than one at a time calling down there and saying, 'Hey, we need help with schools,' or, 'Hey, we need help with law enforcement,'" Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis said.

Caucus organizers plan to see if other, like-minded cities are interested in joining them.

Ardis and Rockford counterpart Larry Morrissey appear to be the prime forces behind this endeavor. According to both men, it sprang from Illinois Municipal League meetings.

The diversity of cities in that organization sometimes leads to a downplaying of issues important to mid-sized industrial municipalities, Morrissey suggested.

"It's been hard to reach consensus in some very tough areas, with an agenda fair to everyone involved," Morrissey said. "Instead of a watered-down agenda, we're trying to keep it very focused."

Cities involved in this effort share characteristics such as poverty rates, blight and challenges with public housing and federal entitlement programs, Morrissey said.

That's true in Aurora, which has suburban sprawl similar to neighboring Naperville but also has an urban core unlike it. Same in Danville, although it is smaller in population.

"It's not just population based," Morrissey said. "In some cities it has to do with when they were founded and when they grew."

Education, public safety, workforce training and entitlement issues are among the nascent group's top issues, according to Morrissey. Ardis cited education reform initiatives as the main focus.

The caucus might engage in fundraising at some point, although the mayors haven't talked much about that, according to Morrissey.

"Right now, we're really focused on aligning our messaging," he said.

That message might have a difficult time being heard in the state capital this year. The chances of anything productive taking place in a state-election year are next to nil, according to Ardis.

"We have to acknowledge how difficult it is down there, how many things they have on their plate, when somebody else comes knocking on the door when the plate's full," Ardis said. "But we're going to be knocking anyway."

Nick Vlahos can be reached at 686-3285 or nvlahos@pjstar.com. Follow him at @VlahosNick.